Franklin counselor Monica Anderson named Indiana Middle School Counselor of the Year

After her counselor helped her through one of the toughest times in her life, a Franklin Community Middle School student got a chance to pay it forward.

In front of an auditorium packed with students during what was advertised as a speech competition Monday, eighth grader Landry Betts announced Monica Anderson as 2024 ISCA Middle School Counselor of the Year.

“I met her last year in seventh grade because I was in a rough time in my life and she helped me get out of it. She’s really just positive and she’s joyful. She will never let you down. She believes in you and she will tell you that all the time,” Betts said. “It felt really good to be the one to introduce her.”

The award from the Indiana School Counselor Association honors professional school counselors for outstanding service and achievement, with nominations submitted by colleagues, according to the ISCA. Anderson, who was asked to be one of three judges for the competition, was shocked by the announcement, wiping away tears as she hugged colleagues and family members.

“I want to make a difference in the world,” Anderson said. “There’s only so much that I can do as an individual, so helping young people become who they should be, who they need to be and helping them remove barriers is appealing to me. In my opinion, the biggest difference that you can make in someone’s life is helping them to see who they are and what they can achieve.”

After the surprise announcement, her colleagues played a video they compiled of students describing the impact she had on them. Now in her 22nd year as a school counselor, she’s found some of the greatest gratification comes from helping students through some of their most difficult challenges.

“There’s just nothing like it. There’s nothing I can really say to put words to it,” Anderson said. “They come into middle school where life is at one of the hardest points because they’re trying to figure out who they are, where they fit in and where they don’t. Their own journey of self-discovery is really cool, and that’s probably what I love the most.”

Along with the time she spends working one-on-one with students, Anderson designed and implemented the Cubs to Grizzlies mentor program, which pairs an eighth-grade student with a Franklin Community High School junior, who visits the middle school weekly and works to develop positive peer relationships with the student they are paired with. They also go on two off-campus, all-day field trips meant to create positive memorable experiences for both mentor and mentee, according to a news release from Franklin schools.

Rita Holman, the middle school’s principal, wrote a recommendation for Anderson to be named Middle School Counselor of the Year. In her letter, she highlighted two groups Anderson created, one targeting at-risk females and the other at-risk males. In the Chit-Chat group for girls, Anderson wrote a grant to fund a photography project, which culminated in each girl receiving a large framed print of them doing something they loved. For the Passport to Manhood group for boys, she partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Johnson County to give boys a strong, positive role model when they might not have one at home, Holman said in the letter.

“One of Monica’s greatest assets is her dynamic vision,” Holman said. “That, combined with her strong student advocacy skills, creates huge opportunities for the students of (Franklin Community Middle School). Monica sees her students not only as middle-level learners but as the future adults they will become. She believes in them, sees their full potential and continually advocates for the whole child.”

Anderson will receive her award at the ISCA Annual Fall Conference on Nov. 9 and 10 in Indianapolis.